Operation Round Up

Using our spare change to see positive "change" in our local communities

With about 73 percent of Meeker Cooperative Light and Power Association members contributing less than $1 for each bill, the Trust is able to gather and distribute an average of more than $40,000 per year.

Establish a policy of giving with Operation Round Up®

Operation Round Up: Your electric bill will be "rounded up" to the next higher dollar unless you contact us that you choose not to participate. Operation Round Up® is governed by a group of volunteers called the Meeker Cooperative Electric Trust Board. Operating independently as a non- charitable giving organization, they issue grants in March, August and December to community projects and charities within our service area, such as fire departments, schools, youth and senior programs, community events and agricultural societies. Contributions are generally only awarded once during a calendar year to an entity.

Sign up to become part of the Operation Round Up family!

Operation Round Up® is an incredible program that operates much like our cooperative, where people work together for the good of all.

2020 Deadlines for grant applications are close of business the first Thursday in February, July and November:

February 6

July 2

November 5

The Electric Trust Board meets to consider grant applications on the following Thursdays:

March 5

August 6

December 3

Scholarships available through Operation Round Up®

A $1,000 scholarship is available for high school seniors whose parent/guardian is either a member or employee of Meeker Cooperative Light and Power Assn.. Eligible students of the following schools should contact their school’s scholarship program administrator for more information.

ACGC High School

BOLD High School

Dassel-Cokato High School

Eden Valley-Watkins High School

Hutchinson High School

Kimball Area High School

Litchfield High School

Paynesville High School

A $1,000 scholarship is available to a student enrolled or enrolling in the Lineman’s training program at MN West Community & Technical College in Jackson or at MN State Community & Technical College in Wadena, or any other Minnesota-approved lineman or electrician program. The parent/guardian of the student selected to receive the scholarship must be a member or employee of Meeker Cooperative Light and Power Assn.. Eligible students should contact the financial office at the technical colleges listed for more information.

A $1,000 scholarship is available to a student enrolled or enrolling in the electrician program at Ridgewater College in Hutchinson or Willmar, or any Minnesota-approved lineman or electrician program. The parent/guardian of the student selected to receive the scholarship must be a member or employee of Meeker Cooperative Light and Power Assn.. Eligible students should contact the Ridgewater College Foundation at the campus for more information.

Non-Traditional Student Scholarships

Application Deadline: First Thursday in February

An eligible candidate should be:

Five or more years beyond high school graduation and

Have an educational plan and show steady progress (have been enrolled at least one quarter or semester in the program) toward completion of required coursework. Student is not expected to be carrying a full course load.

Recipient must be working toward a degree, certificate or licensure in some area of expertise. (Eligible candidates may be updating skills in a technical area such as computer skills or auto mechanics, may be updating skills for a specific trade or profession, or may be working towards a baccalaureate or master’s degree.)

Applicant must be receiving power from Meeker Cooperative. Employees of the Cooperative are eligible.

Amount of Scholarship: $1,000.
Monies will be sent directly to the educational institution to assist with tuition fees. Applicants may apply annually. Past recipients are not eligible.

K-12 Grant for Interdisciplinary Education

Application Deadline: Applications for this grant have been suspended due to school scheduling and planning restrictions under the covid-19 environment. Please check back for future deadlines as details become available.

The Meeker Cooperative Electric Trust will annually make available to applicants a maximum of $3,500 to be used by classroom teachers for new, collaborative projects within and beyond the classroom. Grant dollars will be distributed based on the merit/feasibility of applications received.Teachers who work in public or private schools serving students in Meeker Cooperative Light and Power Assn.’s service territory are eligible to apply. The project must include more than one teacher, along with possibly including parents and/or local businesses.

This grant is to be used to fund interdisciplinary education. Some ideas for the funds include, but are not limited to, speakers, festivals, interdisciplinary projects, multi-grade level projects, incentive programs, and school-wide events.

Operation Round Up Guidelines are available as a downloadable file on this page.

Note: This page includes downloadable files that are in Adobe PDF format and require Adobe Acrobat Reader. You can download Acrobat Reader free of charge from Adobe's web site. This is a safe, fast and easy installation. This page also includes downloadable files that are in Microsoft Word format and require Microsoft Word to open. If you do not have Microsoft Word but need access to these forms, please contact our office.

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